A Simple Method To Improve Your Heart Health

This simple method to improve your heart health has nothing to do with exercise or a healthy diet. So, how do we improve our heart health?   

 By developing a positive psychological attitude that includes optimism, life satisfaction and happiness.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the most optimistic people reduced their risk of a heart attack by 50%. This is in comparison to people who are less optimistic.

This is important since heart disease is still the leading cause of death in both men and women.

Not only do psychological assets like optimism and positive emotions slow the progression of cardiovascular diseases, but people with these positive thoughts tend to engage in healthier behaviors. These optimistic people tend to exercise, eat a healthy diet and get enough sleep. They also have lower blood pressures, a healthy blood fat profile and have a healthy body weight.

How can we develop a more positive attitude?

The first thing you should do is pay more attention to your thoughts. You may be thinking in negative terms without realizing it.

For example,

• Instead of thinking that something has no chance of working, try believing that you can make it work. 
• Instead of thinking that something can't be done because you have never done it before, think of it as a new opportunity to learn something new. 
• Instead of thinking that you will never get better at some task, convince yourself to keep trying until you get it right.

I'll never forget the first time that I tried to make homemade bread. It came out of the oven as a white and very hard brick. I didn't give up though. It took me several years of trying, but I finally made a rather good looking and tasty loaf of bread. Now, several decades later, I have no idea how to make that hard brick that I made the first time.

 Next, try surrounding yourself with positive scents and sounds. This, of course is a personal choice. I like vanilla and LeAnn Rimes music.

Learn to laugh and have fun. I have gotten in a habit of laughing whenever I drop or break something. Getting mad never fixes anything.

It becomes easier to have a positive attitude if you surround yourself with positive people.

Lastly, consider meditation. You will not find a happier group of people than those who practice meditation on a daily basis. The trick is to think of one thing, like a word, a prayer or your breath for about 5 minutes. Then,

1. Relax your body
2. Pay attention to your breath as your belly rises to allow you to slowly breath in
3. Let your belly slowly deflate to exhale, while still paying attention to your breath
4. If your mind starts to wander, just bring it back to paying attention to your breathing
5. Don't stop thinking. Just let your thoughts stay focused on your breathing or prayer.
6. Do this for 5 minutes every day

If you consciously practice positive thinking every day, you will greatly improve your heart's health and you overall fitness.

Charles

References:

Harvard School of Public Health: " Positive Feelings May Help Protect Cardiovascular Health "
CDC: " Leading Cause of Death "
Mayo Clinic: " Positive Thinking: Reduce stress by eliminating negative self-talk "
PsychCentral: " 15 Tips to Boost Your Well-Being and Happiness "
Emotional Toolkit: " The Meditative Arts "

Did You Know That Proper Breathing Techniques Can Reduce Your Blood Pressure

Do you know how to breathe properly?

Most of us simply do not know the proper breathing techniques to keep ourselves healthy and fit.

For most of my life, I thought that you should hold your stomach in and expand your chest to fill your lungs with as much air as possible. Believe it or not, this is the wrong way to breathe.

We should actually allow our stomach area to expand as we breathe in. This action lowers the diaphragm, which in turn allows more air to fill the lower parts of your lungs. This is important since the lowest part of your lungs contains blood with the highest oxygen content.

I have also learned that slow, deep breathes can help you reduce your blood pressure for low periods of time. Research has shown that taking fewer than 10 breaths a minute does reduce blood pressures in people who have mastered this slow breathing technique.

Researchers are not sure why this works, but they do have a theory.

When we take frequent, shallow breaths, we tend to hold our breath for a short period of time. This diverts more blood to our brain, which in turn changes our blood chemistry to a more acidic nature. This increase in blood acidity makes our kidneys less efficient at removing sodium from our bodies. This in turn increases our blood pressure over an extended period of time.

On the other hand, taking longer, deep breaths, maintains a more proper blood chemistry, which in turn allows our kidneys to remove excess sodium and reduce our blood pressure.

Proper Breathing Technique

1. Hold your chin up as you breathe in to keep the passage way to your lungs as open as possible
2. Place your hands over your abdomen to make sure that you are expanding your abdomen area as you breathe in
3. Try to reduce your breathing rate to 10 breaths per minute or less.
4. Slowly breath in by allowing your abdomen to expand
5. Once your lungs are full, slowly breathe out without holding your breath during the entire cycle
6. Repeat this exercise for 10 to 15 minutes each day
7. Eventually, your body will naturally start to breathe properly all the time

This is a great meditation exercise that will reap lots of health and fitness benefits. The best benefit in achieving the proper breathing technique is lower blood pressure. With a lower blood pressure comes the lower risk of heart disease and strokes. And all you have to do is breathe properly.

Charles

References:

The Telegraph: " Why do so few of us know how to breathe properly? "
MSNBC: " Breathe deep to lower blood pressure, doc says "

How To Improve Your Arterial Health and Knee Muscular Strength As You Age

What physical activity is proving to be an excellent way to maintain the health of your arteries and improve your muscular strength as you age?

Tai Chi

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has found that people who regularly practice Tai Chi have significantly higher arterial compliance, and greater muscular strength in both their knee extensors and flexors. These results are in comparison of people who do not practice Tai Chi.

Having greater arterial compliance is a fancy way of saying that Tai Chi practitioners have less stiffness in their arteries. Our arteries have a tendency to stiffen as we age. This can lead to increased blood pressure and reduced blood flow throughout our bodies. Improving arterial compliance is a way to keep our bodies young.

What is Tai Chi?

About twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to live in the Shanghai area for 13 months.

It was always interesting to watch the groups of elderly Chinese who would assemble on the sidewalks and go through their slow and deliberate, choreographed Tai Chi moves. Not only is it a great exercise program, but it is also a great way to stay socially connected with like-minded friends.

Tai Chi is actually "Tai Chi Chuan." It literally means "Supreme Ultimate Fist."

It is a type of Chinese martial art practiced for defense training. However, most practice the slow movement form of Tai Chi for its health benefits.

Tai Chi Benefits

According to the lead investigator, Dr. William Tsang, Tai Chi practitioners in comparison to those who do not practice this martial art form

1. Have better arterial compliance
2. Have better knee muscular strength

Dr. Tsang also states that Tai Chi has the added benefits of being able to be practiced anywhere and any time without the need for a gym or gym equipment. It is a great exercise program for the elderly for both vascular health and muscular strength improvements.

Tai Chi DVD


Element: Tai Chi for Beginners (amazon.com)

 Charles

References:

 ScienceDaily: "Older Subjects Who Regularly Practice Tai Chi Found To Have Better Arterial Compliance and Greater Muscle Strength"
Wikipedia: "Compliance"
Wikipedia: "Tai Chi Chuan"

Men With Higher Than Normal Blood Pressure Have a Higher Risks of Atrial fibrillation

In a press release from the American Heart Association, titled: "Middle-aged men with upper-normal blood pressure at risk for AF," it stated that upper-normal blood pressure in healthy, middle-aged men is an early predictor of atrial fibrillation. The study concluded that

• Men with a systolic blood pressure over 140 mm Hg had a 60% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation or AF.
• Men with a systolic blood pressure between 128 and 138 mm Hg had a 50% increased risk of developing AF.
• Men with a diastolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg or higher had a 79% increased risks of developing AF.

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial Fibrillation is the rapid and disorganized electrical signals that cause the heart's two upper chambers to contract irregularly and very fast. AF doesn't always cause symptoms. Some may experience chest pain. AF increases the risks of stroke.

One important step to prevent AF is to keep your blood pressure low. Ten things that can help you keep your blood pressure low are:

1. Lose extra weight
2. Regularly exercise
   
3. Maintain a healthy diet
4. Use less sodium
5. Limit your alcohol consumption
6. Stay away from tobacco and second hand smoke
7. Reduce your caffeine
8. Reduce stress
9. Check your blood pressure often
10. Be more social with family and friends

A great resource to help you keep your blood pressure low is Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure by the US Department of Health and Human Services. You may also find interesting the Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure.

For treatment options of atrial fibrillation see Atrial Fibrillation Treatments and Drugs by the Mayo Clinic.

Charles

Why You Should Lose Belly Fat

Why should you lose belly fat?

It is actually visceral fat that is the health concern. Visceral fat is the fat layer that lies under the layer of abdominal muscle. This fatty tissue surrounds our organs, and is the cause of giving us that "beer belly" physique. Research has shown that excessive viseral fat can lead to some
serios health concerns.

Below we will explore

• Why Visceral Fat Is Dangerous To Health


• The Proper Diet To Lose Stomach Fat


• Proper Exercises To Lose Stomach Fat

Why Visceral Fat Is Dangerous To Your Health

Visceral fat cells are more than just stored energy. They can produce hormones that can negatively affect your health.

These fat cells can contribute to the development of breast cancer by producing estrogen. Visceral fat cells can also help develop type 2 diabetes by producing insulin resistant hormones. Research has also shown that an excess of visceral fat around your waist is associated with
and increase risk of

• Diabetes


• Breast Cancer


• Gallbladder Problems


• High Blood Pressure


• Heart Disease


• And Colorectal Cancer

How do you know if your waist is too large?

Measure your bare waist just above your hip bone with a soft tape measure. Don't hold in your stomach or hold your breath as you measure yourself.

You should find ways to lose belly fat if your waist is larger than 40 inches for men, and 35 inches for women. If your waist size is too large according to these guidelines, you need to lose belly fat to reduce your risk of developing some of the diseases listed above.

Happily, visceral fat responds well to a good exercise routine and diet plan. A good exercise routine and diet plan becomes even more important as we age when our physical activity and metabolism slows.

Click Here for more informatiion on the health risks of visceral fat.

The Proper Diet To Lose Belly Fat

Basically, centering your diet around whole and minimally processed grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds will help your achieve your goal to lose belly fat.

More importantly, you should stay away from these foods:

• Enriched Flours


• Bleached Flours


• Foods with added sugars


• High Fructose corn syrup


• Junk foods and snacks


• And hydrogenated oils

An added way to help yourself lose stomach fat is to use these tips to speed up your metabolism:

• Frequently drink cold liquids


• Keep yourself hydrated


• Eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day rather than eating just 1 or 2 large meals


• Eat more lean protein rich foods


• Drink green tea or black coffee without added fat or sugar


• And use hot peppers with your meals

Proper Exercises To Lose Belly Fat

Use full body, multi-joint exercises to lose belly fat. Ab specific exercises like situps and crunches do tone muscle, but don't burn fat. Full body exercises on the other hand burn stomach fat by increasing your metabolism and fat burning hormone production. Full body workouts accomplish this by working many large muscles groups and your cardiovascular system all at the same time.

A few examples of full body exercises are:

• The Bicycle Maneuver Exercise (Pilates Criss Cross)


• Dumbbell Squats


• And Dumbbell Lunges

When doing an aerobic exercise, use an Interval Training technique rather than a constant speed and intensity technique. Interval Training involves rotating between a slow speed and intensity and a high speed and intensity cycle. For example, rotating between walking at 4 miles per hour for a minute and a half, then running at 6 or 8 miles per hour for a minute is one possible cycle. You can repeat this cycle for an excellent 20 minute Interval Training workout. Research has shown that Interval Training actually burns more calories and gets you into good physical shape faster than a constant speed aerobic routine.

Click Here for more information on ways to lose belly fat.

In summary, losing stomach fat involves switching to a healthy diet plan and a good exercise routine. Otherwise, you run the risk of developing some serious medical problems that can be avoided with some simple lifestyle changes.

Visit burn-tummy-fat.com for added information to lose belly fat.

Charles

Elderly Daily Exercise and High Blood Pressure Treatment May Help to Prevent Falls

A study published in the May 18, 2010 issue of Neurology states that daily exercise and treatments for high blood pressure may help to prevent the risk of falls among the elderly.

The study conducted by Farzaneh Sorond, M.D. at the Institute for Aging Research concluded that seniors with the smallest blood flow change in the brain had the greatest risk of falls. The findings show that low changes in blood flow to the brain is associated with slow gait and the development of falls in the elderly. Only 18 percent of 85 year old seniors have a normal gait. These gait abnormalities are strongly associated with falls.

Daily exercise and high blood pressure treatment can improve blood flow to the brain, and decrease the risk of falls.

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

Can Meditation Curb Heart Attacks?

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

Meditation may reduce the risk of heart attacks according to this interesting article titled "Can Meditation Curb Heart Attacks?" Research shows that meditation does reduce blood pressure and stress.

Other research by Dr. Sara Lazar shows that meditation physically improves the cerebral cortex, which is involved with decision making, working memory and brain-body interactions. This research is summarized in the article "Meditation May Alter Brain, Delay Aging."

Charles

Exercise Doesn't Lead To Weight Loss

Exercise-To-A-Healthier-Life.com

In the article "Why Doesn't Exercise Lead To Weight Loss?", which is a summary of a report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine titled "Beneficial Effects Of Exercise: Shifting The Focus From Body Weight To Other Markers Of Health", it is shown that exercise has many health benefits, but does not usually lead to weight loss.

The main reason is that most people do not change their eating habits. The formula is simple. If you eat more calories than you use for energy, you will gain weight. If you eat as many calories as you use for energy, your weight will remain the same. To lose weight, you have to take in less calories than you use for energy.

30-minutes of running only uses about 300 calories (Calorie Chart). This can easily be replaced with one Gatorade.

However, exercise can burn away fat, but must be in combination of a proper diet. Believe it or not, a low intensity exercise will burn a higher percentage of fat calories than a high intensity exercise. According to the report, heart rates between 105 and 134 beats per minute represents the fat-burning zone. Some of the Benefits To Exercise are:

• Decrease in blood pressure
• Decrease in your resting heart rate
• Decrease in the "bad" cholesterol and an increase in the "good" cholesterol
• Increase in your body's ability to deliver nutrients to your tissues
• An increase in your body's ability to remove toxic waste from your tissues
• And an increase in longevity and overall health

Charles